Showing papers in "Journal of Oceanography in 2008"

Recent advances in ocean-circulation research on the Yellow Sea and East China Sea shelves

Abstract: Recent advances in ocean-circulation research on the Yellow Sea and East China Sea shelves are summarized. Observations using acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) suggest that the connectivity of mean-volume-transports is incomplete between the Tsushima (2.6 Sverdrups; 1 Sv = 106 m3/s) and Taiwan Straits (1.2 Sv). The remaining 1.4-Sv transport must be supplied by onshore Kuroshio intrusion across the East China Sea shelf break. The Yellow Sea Warm Current is not a persistent ocean current, but an episodic event forced by northerly winter monsoon winds. Nevertheless, the Cheju Warm Current is detected clearly regardless of season. In addition, the throughflow in the Taiwan Strait may be episodic in winter when northeasterly winds prevail. The throughflow strengthens (vanishes) under moderate (severe) northeasterly wind conditions. Using all published ADCP-derived estimates, the throughflow transport (V) in the Taiwan Strait is approximated as $$ V = V_0 + V_1 \cos [2\pi (t - K)/T], $$ where V 0, V 1, K are 1.2 Sv, 1.3 Sv, and 157 days, respectively, t is yearday, and T is 365.2422 days (i.e., 1 year). The difference between the throughflow transports in the Tsushima and Taiwan Straits suggests that the onshore Kuroshio intrusion across the shelf break increases from autumn to winter. The China Coastal Current has been observed in winter, but shelf currents are obscure in summer.

Numerical study of baroclinic tides in Luzon Strait

Abstract: The spatial and temporal variations of baroclinic tides in the Luzon Strait (LS) are investigated using a three-dimensional tide model driven by four principal constituents, O1, K1, M2 and S2, individually or together with seasonal mean summer or winter stratifications as the initial field. Barotropic tides propagate predominantly westward from the Pacific Ocean, impinge on two prominent north-south running submarine ridges in LS, and generate strong baroclinic tides propagating into both the South China Sea (SCS) and the Pacific Ocean. Strong baroclinic tides, ∼19 GW for diurnal tides and ∼11 GW for semidiurnal tides, are excited on both the east ridge (70%) and the west ridge (30%). The barotropic to baroclinic energy conversion rate reaches 30% for diurnal tides and ∼20% for semidiurnal tides. Diurnal (O1 and K1) and semidiurnal (M2) baroclinic tides have a comparable depth-integrated energy flux 10–20 kW m−1 emanating from the LS into the SCS and the Pacific basin. The spring-neap averaged, meridionally integrated baroclinic tidal energy flux is ∼7 GW into the SCS and ∼6 GW into the Pacific Ocean, representing one of the strongest baroclinic tidal energy flux regimes in the World Ocean. About 18 GW of baroclinic tidal energy, ∼50% of that generated in the LS, is lost locally, which is more than five times that estimated in the vicinity of the Hawaiian ridge. The strong westward-propagating semidiurnal baroclinic tidal energy flux is likely the energy source for the large-amplitude nonlinear internal waves found in the SCS. The baroclinic tidal energy generation, energy fluxes, and energy dissipation rates in the spring tide are about five times those in the neap tide; while there is no significant seasonal variation of energetics, but the propagation speed of baroclinic tide is about 10% faster in summer than in winter. Within the LS, the average turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rate is O(10−7) W kg− 1 and the turbulence diffusivity is O(10−3) m2s−1, a factor of 100 greater than those in the typical open ocean. This strong turbulence mixing induced by the baroclinic tidal energy dissipation exists in the main path of the Kuroshio and is important in mixing the Pacific Ocean, Kuroshio, and the SCS waters.

Distributions of Nutrients in the East China Sea and the South China Sea Connection

Abstract: Surface maps of nitrate, phosphate and silicate of the East China Sea (ECS) have been constructed and are described. Reports on exchanges of material between the ECS and the South China Sea (SCS) through the Taiwan Strait are reviewed. Recent advances seem to have reversed the earlier view that the SCS exports nutrients to the ECS through the Taiwan Strait. This is because the northward flow of seawater in the summer carries little nutrient. On the other hand, the waters flowing southward along the coast of China in winter carry orders of magnitude higher nutrient concentrations. The outflow of subsurface waters from the SCS, however, is the major source of new nutrients to the ECS continental shelves because these subsurface waters flow out of the Luzon Strait, join the northwardly flowing Kuroshio and enter the Okinawa trough. Around 10% of the nutrients exported from the SCS through the Luzon Strait upwell onto the ECS shelf. These inputs are larger than the aggregate of all the rivers that empty into the ECS, contributing 49% of the externally sourced nitrogen, 71% of the phosphorous, and 54% of the silica for the ECS.

Anticyclonic eddies in the northeastern South China Sea during winter 2003/2004

Abstract: The origins and evolutions of two anticyclonic eddies in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS) were examined using multi-satellite remote sensing data, trajectory data of surface drifting buoys, and in-situ hydrographic data during winter 2003/2004. The results showed that buoy 22918 tracked an anti-cyclonic warm-core eddy (AE1) for about 20 days (December 4-23, 2003) in the northeastern SCS, and then escaped from AE1 eventually. Subsequently to that, buoy 22517 remained within a different anti-cyclonic warm-core eddy (AE2) for about 78 days (from January 28 to April 14, 2004) in the same area. It drifted southwestward for about 540 km, and finally entered into the so-called "Luzon Gyre". Using inference from sea level anomaly (SLA), sea surface temperature (SST), geostrophic currents and the buoys' trajectories, it is shown that both eddies propagated southwestward along the continental slope of the northern SCS. The mean speeds of AE1 and AE2 movements were 9.7 cm/s and 10.5 cm/s, respectively, which are similar to the phase speed of Rossby waves in the northern SCS. The variation of instantaneous speeds of the eddy movement and intensity of anticyclonic eddy may suggest complex interactions between an anticyclonic eddy and its ambient fluids in the northern SCS, where the eddy propagated southwestward with Rossby waves. Furthermore, SLA and SST images in combination with the temperature and salinity profiles obtained during a cruise suggested that AE1 was generated in the interior SCS and AE2 was shed from the "Kuroshio meander".

Recent progress in studies of the South China Sea circulation

Abstract: The South China Sea (SCS) is a semi-enclosed marginal sea with deep a basin. The SCS is located at low latitudes, where the ocean circulations are driven principally by the Asia-Australia monsoon. Ocean circulation in the SCS is very complex and plays an important role in both the marine environment and climate variability. Due to the monsoon-mountain interactions the seasonal spatial pattern of the sea surface wind stress curl is very specific. These distinct patterns induce different basin-scale circulation and gyre in summer and winter, respectively. The intensified western boundary currents associated with the cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres in the SCS play important roles in the sea surface temperature variability of the basin. The mesoscale eddies in the SCS are rather active and their formation mechanisms have been described in recent studies. The water exchange through the Luzon Strait and other straits could give rise to the relation between the Pacific and the SCS. This paper reviews the research results mentioned above.

Dissolved and labile particulate Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Mo and W in the western North Pacific Ocean

Abstract: Dissolved and labile particulate Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Mo and W were determined at stations K1 (51°N, 165°E), K2 (47°N, 160°E), KNOT (44°N, 155°E) and 35N (35°N, 160°E) in the western North Pacific Ocean. A portion of seawater for dissolved species (D) was passed through a 0.2 µm Nuclepore filter and acidified to pH 2.2 with HCl and HF. A portion of seawater for acid-dissolvable species (AD) was acidified without filtration. Labile particulate (LP) species is defined as AD minus D, which represents a chemically labile fraction of particulate species. D-Zr, Hf and Ta increase with depth, Nb shows a slight depletion in surface water, whereas Mo and W have a conservative vertical profile. The concentration range of D-Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta and W is 31–275, 0.14–0.95, 4.0–7.2, 0.08–0.29 and 40–51 pmol kg−1, respectively, whereas that of Mo is 97–105 nmol kg−1. LP-species of Zr, Hf and Ta account for 10–14% of AD in average and increase up to 25% below 4000 m, whereas those for Mo and W are negligible. In contrast, LP-Nb shows maxima (up to 27%) in surface water. We also found that D-Zr/Hf, Nb/Ta and Mo/W mole ratios generally increase in the order continental crust < river water < coastal sea < open ocean.

Study of the Kuroshio/Ryukyu Current System Based on Satellite-Altimeter and in situ Measurements

Abstract: Data from satellite altimeters and from a 13-month deployment of in situ instruments are used to determine an empirical relationship between sea-level anomaly difference (SLA) across the Kuroshio in the East China Sea (ECS-Kuroshio) and net transport near 28°N. Applying this relationship to the altimeter data, we obtain a 12-year time series of ECS-Kuroshio transport crossing the C-line (KT). The resulting mean transport is 18.7 ± 0.2 Sv with 1.8 Sv standard deviation. This KT is compared with a similarly-determined time series of net Ryukyu Current transport crossing the O-line near 26°N southeast of Okinawa (RT). Their mean sum (24 Sv) is less than the mean predicted Sverdrup transport. These KT and RT mean-flow estimates form a consistent pattern with historical estimates of other mean flows in the East China Sea/Philippine Basin region. While mean KT is larger than mean RT by a factor of 3.5, the amplitude of the KT annual cycle is only half that of RT. At the 95% confidence level the transports are coherent at periods of about 2 years and 100–200 days, with RT leading KT by about 60 days in each case. At the annual period, the transports are coherent at the 90% confidence level with KT leading RT by 4–5 months. While the bulk of the Kuroshio enters the ECS through the channel between Taiwan and Yonaguni-jima, analysis of satellite altimetry maps, together with the transport time series, indicates that the effect of mesoscale eddies is transmitted to the ECS via the Kerama Gap southwest of Okinawa. Once the effect of these eddies is felt by the ECS-Kuroshio at 28°N, it is advected rapidly to the Tokara Strait.

Structure, biomass distribution and trophodynamics of the pelagic ecosystem in the Oyashio region, western subarctic Pacific

Abstract: Biomass distribution and trophodynamics in the oceanic ecosystem in the Oyashio region are presented and analyzed, combining the seasonal data for plankton and micronekton collected at Site H since 1996 with data for nekton and other animals at higher trophic levels from various sources. The total biomass of biological components including bacteria, phytoplankton, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, micronekton, fishes/squids and marine birds/mammals was 23 g C m−2, among which the most dominant component was mesozooplankton (34% of the total), followed by phytoplankton (28%), bacteria (15%) and microzooplankton (protozoans) (14%). The remainder (9%) was largely composed of micronekton and fish/squid. Marine mammals/birds are only a small fraction (0.14%) of the total biomass. Large/medium grazing copepods (Neocalaus spp., Eucalanus bungii and Metridia spp.) accounted for 77% of the mesozooplankton biomass. Based on information about diet composition, predators were assigned broadly into mean trophic level 3–4, and carbon flow through the grazing food chain was established based on the estimated annual production/food consumption balance of each trophic level. From the food chain scheme, ecological efficiencies as high as 24% were calculated for the primary/secondary production and 21% for the secondary/tertiary production. Biomass and production of bacteria were estimated as 1/10 of the respective values for phytoplankton at Site H, but the role of the microbial food chain remains unresolved in the present analysis. As keystone species in the oceanic Oyashio region, Neocalanus spp. are suggested as a vital link between primary production and production of pelagic fishes, mammals and birds.

Mechanism of Currents through the Straits of the Japan Sea : Mean State and Seasonal Variation

Abstract: The mechanism governing the mean state and the seasonal variation of the transports through the straits of the Japan Sea is studied using a newly presented, simple analytical model and a basin scale general circulation model (GCM). The GCM reproduces the transports through the straits of the Japan Sea realistically owing to its fine horizontal resolution of about 20 km and realistic topography. A series of experiments conducted by changing surface forcing shows that the annual mean wind-driven circulation in the North Pacific Ocean is most responsible for the formation of the mean transports. It is also found that the seasonal variation of the alongshore component of monsoonal wind stress over the North Pacific basin, especially that over the Okhotsk Sea, is responsible for the seasonal variation of the transports. The simple analytical model can explain these simulated features very well. The physical concept of this model is based on the formation of the around-island circulation through the adjustment of coastally trapped waves and Rossby waves and geostrophic control at the narrow straits. It solves the sea surface heights (SSHs) at the edge of each strait and the transport through it. The value of the line integral of the SSH along the island is determined by the baroclinic Rossby waves approaching the island from the east and the alongshore wind stress around the island. The basin scale seasonal variation of SSH along the coast induced by the variation of the alongshore monsoonal wind stress can also be incorporated into this model by giving the SSH anomaly at the northeastern point of the Soya Strait. Thus, it is suggested that both the mean state and the seasonal variation are caused mainly by wind stress forcing. Minor modification by the seasonal heat flux forcing brings the amplitude and the phase of the seasonal variation closer to the observed values.

Estimating Boundary Currents from Satellite Altimetry : A Case Study for the East Coast of India

Abstract: We present a methodology to derive surface geostrophic current from a newly released altimetric sea-level data set. TOPEX/Poseidon data were first completely reprocessed from Geophysical Data Records using new algorithms accommodating marginal seas and coastal conditions. The methodology applied to the reprocessed data essentially consists of a smoothing of the raw along-track coastal altimetric data at scales at which the geostrophic equilibrium holds. This was reduced to a computational procedure using a set of objective criteria. We have applied the method to the East India Coastal Current (EICC) at the western boundary of the Bay of Bengal. This paper first examines the quality of the new data set, which compares well with tide-gauge data; the current we derived is consistent with independent estimates. Our methodology reveals the full spectrum of the along-shore current, ranging from intra-seasonal to inter-annual time scales, from the deep ocean to the shelf-break area where the EICC exists. The algorithm can be applied to any coastal region where an order of the Rossby radius can be defined, and it therefore opens up bright prospects for mapping the variability of other boundary-current systems in the world ocean from altimetry.

Review of recent findings on the water masses and circulation in the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

Abstract: Recent findings on water masses, biogeochemical tracers, deep currents and basin-scale circulation in the East/Japan Sea, and numerical modeling of its circulation are reviewed. Warming continues up to 2007 despite an episode of bottom water formation in the winter of 2000–2001. Water masses have definitely changed since the 1970s and further changes are expected due to the continuation of warming. Accumulation of current data in deep waters of the East/Japan Sea reveals that the circulation in the East/Japan Sea is primarily cyclonic with sub-basin scale cyclonic and anticyclonic cells in the Ulleung Basin (Tsushima Basin). Our understanding of the circulation of intermediate water masses has been deepened through high-resolution numerical studies, and the implementation of data assimilation has had initial success. However, the East/Japan Sea is unique in terms of the fine vertical structures of physical and biogeochemical properties of cold water mass measured at the highest precision and their rapid change with the global warming, so that full understanding of the structures and their change requires in-depth process studies with continuous monitoring programs.

South China Sea Wave Characteristics during Typhoon Muifa Passage in Winter 2004

Abstract: The responses to tropical cyclones of ocean wave characteristics in deep water of the western Atlantic Ocean have been investigated extensively, but not the regional seas in the western Pacific such as the South China Sea (SCS), due to a lack of observational and modeling studies there. Since monsoon winds prevail in the SCS but not in the western Atlantic Ocean, the SCS is unique for investigating wave characteristics during a typhoon’s passage in conjunction with steady monsoon wind forcing. To do so, the Wavewatch-III (WW3) is used to study the response of the SCS to Typhoon Muifa (2004), which passed over not only deep water but also the shallow shelf of the SCS. The WW3 model is forced by the NASA QuikSCAT winds and tropical cyclone wind profile model during Typhoon Muifa’s passage from 0000UTC 16 on November to 1200UTC on 25 November 2004. The results reveal the unique features of the SCS wave characteristics in response to Muifa, such as non-decaying, monsoon-generated swell throughout the typhoon period and strong topographic effects on the directional wave spectrum.

The upper ocean response to a moving typhoon

Abstract: The upper ocean response to the translation speed of typhoons is studied using a three-dimensional primitive equation model. Similar models studied previously have applied stability criteria rather than the diffusion term to simulate the vertical mixing process. This study retains the diffusion term and uses the level-2 turbulence closure scheme to estimate the vertical eddy viscosity. The model results indicate that in the forced period, the mixed-layer temperature decrease is greater for a slow-moving storm due to stronger upwelling caused by the longer residence time. A fast-moving storm can attain a similar cooling intensity in the wake period if its residence time allows the wind to resonate with the current. The significant downward momentum diffusion and advection in the first few inertial periods of these events leads to strong, persistent inertial pumping throughout the upper ocean in the wake period. The mixed layer is further cooled by turbulent mixing supported by vertical current shears. Meanwhile, the upper thermocline exhibits a compensating temperature increase. The vertical transfer magnitude and penetration scale are smaller in the slow-moving case, when the inertial motion decays rapidly. The model results also indicate that the dominant cooling process can be inferred from the non-dimensional storm speed. However, this value may be misleading for rapidly moving storms in which the current response is so distant from the storm that little wind work is performed on the ocean.

Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and its carbon isotopic composition in sediment pore waters from the Shenhu area, northern South China Sea

Abstract: The Shenhu area is one of the most favorable places for the occurrence of gas hydrates in the northern continental slope of the South China Sea. Pore water samples were collected in two piston cores (SH-A and SH-B) from this area, and the concentrations of sulfate and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and its carbon isotopic composition were measured. The data revealed large DIC variations and very negative δ13C-DIC values. Two reaction zones, 0–3 mbsf and below 3 mbsf, are identified in the sediment system. At site SH-A, the upper zone (0–3 mbsf) shows relatively constant sulfate and DIC concentrations and δ13C-DIC values, possibly due to bioturbation and fluid advection. The lower zone (below 3 mbsf) displays good linear gradients for sulfate and DIC concentrations, and δ13C-DIC values. At site SH-B, both zones show linear gradients, but the decreasing gradients for δ13C-DIC and SO42− in the lower zone below 3 mbsf are greater than those from the upper zone, 0–3 mbsf. The calculated sulfate-methane interface (SMI) depths of the two cores are 10.0 m and 11.1 m, respectively. The depth profiles of both DIC and δ13C-DIC showed similar characteristics as those in other gas hydrate locations in the world oceans, such as the Blake Ridge. Overall, our results indicate an anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO) process in the sediments with large methane flux from depth in the studied area, which might be linked to the formation of gas hydrates in this area.

Contrasting chemical and isotopic compositions of organic matter in Changjiang (Yangtze river) estuarine and East China Sea shelf sediments

Abstract: To examine the source and preservation of organic matter in the shelf sediments of the East China Sea (ECS), we measured bulk C/N and isotopes, organic biomarkers (n-alkanes and fatty acids) and compound-specific (fatty acids) stable carbon isotope ratios in three sediment cores collected from two sites near the Changjiang Estuary and one in the ECS shelf. Contrasting chemical and isotopic compositions of organic matter were observed between the estuarine and shelf sediments. The concentrations of total n-alkanes and fatty acids in the shelf surface sediments (0–2 cm) were 5–10 times higher than those in estuarine surface sediments but they all decreased rapidly to comparable levels below the surface layer. The compositions of n-alkanes in the estuarine sediments were dominated by C26-C33 long-chain n-alkanes with a strong odd-to-even carbon number predominance. In contrast, the composition of n-alkanes in the shelf sediment was dominated by nC15 to nC22 compounds. Long-chain (>C20) fatty acids (terrestrial biomarkers) accounted for a significantly higher fraction in the estuarine sediments compared to that in the shelf sediment, while short-chain (

Volume Transport of the Soya Warm Current Revealed by Bottom-Mounted ADCP and Ocean-Radar Measurement

Abstract: The vertical structure of the Soya Warm Current (SWC) was observed by a bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in the region of the SWC axis near the Soya Strait during a 1-year period from May 2004. The ADCP data revealed a marked seasonal variability in the vertical structure, with positive (negative) vertical shear in summer and fall (winter and spring). The volume transport of the SWC is estimated on the basis of both the vertical structure observed by the ADCP and horizontal structure observed by the ocean radars near the strait. The transport estimates have a minimum in winter and a maximum in fall, with the yearly-averaged values in the range of 0.94–1.04 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1). These lie within a reasonable range in comparison to those through other straits in the Japan Sea.

Three-dimensional modeling of tidal circulation and mixing over the Java Sea

Abstract: A combination of a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model and in-situ measurements provides the structures of barotropic tides, tidal circulation and their relationship with turbulent mixing in the Java Sea, which allow us to understand the impact of the tides on material distribution. The model retains high horizontal and vertical resolutions and is forced by the boundary conditions taken from a global model. The measurements are composed of the sea level at coastal stations and currents at moorings embedded in Seawatch buoys, in addition to hydrographic data. The simulated tidal elevations are in good agreement with the data for the K1 and M2 constituents. The K1 tide clearly shows the lowest mode resonance in the Java Sea with intensification around the nodal point in the central region. The M2 tide is secondary and propagates westward from the eastern open boundary, along with a counterclockwise amphidromic point in the western part. The K1 tide produces a major component of tidal energy, which flows westward and dissipates through the node region near the Karimata Strait. Meanwhile, the M2 tide dissipates in the entire Java Sea. However, the residual currents are mainly induced by the M2 tide, which flows westward following the M2 tidal wave propagation. The tidal mixing is mainly caused by K1 tide which peaks at the central region and is consistent with the uniform temperature and salinity along the vertical dimension. This mixing is expected to play an important role in the vertical exchange of nutrients and control of biological productivity.

Th-234/U-238 disequilibrium and particulate organic carbon export in the northern South China Sea

Abstract: We utilized 234Th, a naturally occurring radionuclide, to quantify the particulate organic carbon (POC) export rates in the northern South China Sea (SCS) based on data collected in July 2000 (summer), May 2001 (spring) and November 2002 (autumn). Th-234 deficit was enhanced with depth in the euphotic zone, reaching a subsurface maximum at the Chl-a maximum in most cases, as commonly observed in many oceanic regimes. Th-234 was in general in equilibrium with 238U at a depth of ∼100 m, the bottom of the euphotic zone. In this study the 234Th deficit appeared to be less significant in November than in July and May. A surface excess of 234Th relative to 238U was found in the summer over the shelf of the northern SCS, most likely due to the accumulation of suspended particles entrapped by a salinity front. Comparison of the 234Th fluxes from the upper 10 m water column between 2-D and traditional 1-D models revealed agreement within the errors of estimation, suggesting the applicability of the 1-D model to this particular shelf region. 1-D model-based 234Th fluxes were converted to POC export rates using the ratios of bottle POC to 234Th. The values ranged from 5.3 to 26.6 mmol C m−2d−1 and were slightly higher than those in the southern SCS and other oligotrophic areas. POC export overall showed larger values in spring and summer than in autumn, the seasonality of which was, however, not significant. The highest POC export rate (26.6 mmol C m−2d−1) appeared at the shelf break in spring (May), when Chl-a increased and the community structure changed from pico-phytoplankton (<2 µm) dominated to nano-phytoplankton (2–20 µm) and micro-phytoplankton (20–200 µm) dominated.

Tidal modification and its effect on sluice-gate outflow after completion of the Saemangeum dike, South Korea

Abstract: This study examined tidal modification and change in tidal currents caused by the construction of the Saemangeum dike, based on field observations and a numerical model. The Saemangeum dike was completed in April 2006, enclosing an estuarine area along the mid-western coast of South Korea. After closure of the dike, the tidal range outside the dike decreased slightly but significantly, while the inside tidal range decreased drastically. The numerical model results show that the dike construction has influenced tidal energy propagation and the tidal system in the Yellow Sea. The tidal current speed near the dike decreased abruptly following closure of the dike, except in front of the sluice gates. Since completion of the dike, outflow water discharged from the sluice gates has longer residence times due to the weakened tidal current; the change in the tidal current field has also caused greater northward expansion of outflow water. The sluice gates release fresher water, which spreads over the sea surface mainly by inertial momentum near the gate; this water is then gradually mixed with sea water farther from the gate. The less saline, possibly more contaminated outflow impacts the marine environment near the Saemangeum dike. Controlling the discharge and gate-opening timing can partially mitigate these impacts on the marine environment.

Inertial oscillations as deep ocean response to hurricanes

Abstract: We discuss the deep ocean response to passing hurricanes (aka typhoons), which are considered as generators of near-inertial, internal waves. The analysis of data collected in the northwestern parts of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the hurricane season permit us to assess the deep ocean response to such a strong atmospheric forcing. A large number of moorings (more than 100) in the northwestern Pacific have allowed us to characterize the spatial features of the oceanic response to typhoons and the variable downward velocity of near-inertial wave propagation. The velocity of their downward propagation varies in the range 1–10 m/hour. It is higher in the regions of low stratification and high anticyclonic vorticity. The inertial oscillations generated by a hurricane last for 10–12 days. The mean anticyclonic vorticity in the region increases the effective frequency of inertial oscillations by 0.001–0.004 cyc/hour.

Isotope Dilution Sector-Field Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Combined with Extraction Chromatography for Rapid Determination of 241Am in Marine Sediment Samples : A Case Study in Sagami Bay, Japan

Abstract: 241Am is a useful tracer for understanding biogeochemical processes in the marine environment. 241Am also poses a potential radiation threat to human health due to the continuous increase of its concentration in the global environment. We report a rapid analytical method for determining 241Am in marine sediments using isotope dilution sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) combined with a high-efficiency sample introduction system (APEX-Q). A selective CaF2 co-precipitation procedure followed by TRU extraction chromatography was employed to effectively remove the major sediment matrix and to pre-concentrate 241Am. We achieved an extremely low detection limit of 0.32 fg/g or 0.041 mBq/g (for 1 gram sediment), which is better than that of alpha spectrometry, and it allowed the accurate determination of 241Am in low-level marine sediment samples. The accuracy and precision of the developed analytical method was evaluated using a laboratory prepared Am isotope standard solution and Ocean Sediment reference material (IAEA-368). The results were satisfactory. For sediment samples, overall chemical recoveries varied from 60–90%. The developed method was applied to the study of 241Am depth distribution in Sagami Bay, Japan, where we observed different depth profiles between 241Am activity and 239+240Pu activity.

Processes influencing iron distribution in the coastal waters of the Tsugaru Strait, Japan

Abstract: We report measurements of iron, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, humic-type fluorescence intensity and chlorophyll a concentrations in the coastal waters at the inflow (western) and outflow (eastern) ends of Tsugaru Strait (Japan) in June 2003 and 2004. Two different water masses (intensive eastward flow “subtropical Tsugaru Warm Current Water (TWCw)” and weak westward flow “subarctic Oyashio Water (OW)”) were observed at the eastern end of the strait. TWCw at the southern part of the eastern strait was vertically homogeneous with a uniform concentrations of iron (0.7–1.1 nM for labile dissolved Fe and 14–20 nM for total dissolvable Fe in 2003) as well as other chemical, biological and physical components throughout the water column of 200 m due to strong vertical mixing in the strait. The degree of mixing in the Tsugaru Warm Current (TWC) is predominantly affected by diurnal tidal current, which is strong during the period of tropical tides and weak during the period of equinoctial ones. The especially strong vertical water mixing in 2003 is caused by large dissipation energy input due to the bottom friction of passage-flow through the strait and tidal current. At the northern part of the eastern strait, the fresh surface layer overlying the OW and the deep-bottom waters in 2003 contained large concentrations of dissolved iron, resulting from iron supplied from river runoff and shelf sediments, respectively. These results suggest that the most important mechanism for transporting iron in the strait is the strong vertical water mixing due to the tidal current, and that the iron sources in the coastal waters are the organic-associated, iron-rich freshwater input into the surface water.

Intercellular Localization of Nitrogenase in a Non-heterocystous Cyanobacterium (Cyanophyte), Trichodesmium sp. NIBB1067

Abstract: The nitrogenase activities of cyanobacteria of the genus Trichodesmium are strictly light-dependent, although they do not develop heterocysts. Recently, the development of heterocyst-equivalent cells (diazocytes) was suggested in Trichodesmium spp. However, no cells with a similar appearance to diazocytes could be found in Trichodesmium sp. NIBB1067. An immunocytochemical analysis of nitrogenase in individual cells was performed using polyclonal antibodies generated from DNA fragments of genes encoding the Fe-protein and the α-and the β-subunit of the MoFe-protein of nitrogenase of Trichodesmium sp. NIBB1067. Visualization of the antibody binding was carried out using a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibody and a chromogenic substrate, 3,3′-diaminobenzidine, to avoid the masking effects caused by the bright autofluorescence emitted by Trichodesmium cells. Nitrogenase proteins were detected in almost all the cells (always higher than 95% of total cells) grown under nitrogen-limited conditions. These results indicate that Trichodesmium sp. NIBB1067 does not differentiate heterocyst-equivalent cells.

The Kuroshio Extension Front from satellite sea surface temperature measurements

Abstract: The position and strength of the surface Kuroshio Extension Front (KEF), defined as the sea surface temperature (SST) gradient maximum adjacent to the Kuroshio Extension (KE) axis (approximated by a specific SSH contour consistently located at, or near, the maximum of the SSH gradient magnitude), have been studied using weekly, microwave SST measurements from the later 1997 to early 2008. The mean KEF meanders twice around ∼36°N between the east coast of Japan and 153°E. It then migrates southeast to ∼34°N, just before reaching the Shatsky Rise (∼158°E), then progresses mostly eastward. Spatially, the KEF is strongest near the Japan coast, while it is seasonally strongest in winter and weakest in summer. Low-frequency variations of its strength, most notably in its upstream region, can be related to the known bimodal states of the KE. During 2003–2005, when the KE was in its stable state, the winter KEF SST gradient exceeded 10°C/100 km.

Isotopic tracers for water masses in the coastal region of eastern Hokkaido

Abstract: In this study we used two stable isotopes, δ13C and δ18O, for water mass classification in the coastal region off eastern Hokkaido. δ13C* values, which were corrected for the biological effect, and δ 18O values up to 300 m depth suggested that the isotopic character of the onshore and offshore water in the southern Okhotsk Sea, the Nemuro Strait and the western North Pacific could be explained by the mixing of three source waters: the Oyashio water (OYW), Soya Warm Current water (SWCW) and East Sakhalin Current water (ESCW). In summer, δ 13C*-δ 18O plots indicated mixing between SWCW from the southern Okhotsk Sea and OYW in the Pacific coast of southeastern Hokkaido, while temperature-salinity plots of the onshore water showed minimal difference from the offshore OYW. In winter, on the other hand, the mixed water of ESCW and OYW (or SWCW) appeared in the Pacific coastal region, distributed as cold, low salinity onshore water. Finally, we estimated mixing ratios of OYW, SWCW and ESCW in the coastal region of western North Pacific using their mean values of δ 13C* and δ 18O as endmembers. These results suggest seasonal and yearly changes of water mass combination en route from the southern Okhotsk Sea to the western North Pacific.

Temporal Variation in Phytoplankton Composition Related to Water Mass Properties in the Central Part of Sagami Bay

Abstract: Temporal variations in water mass properties and the composition of phytoplankton pigments in the central part of Sagami Bay were investigated by monthly observations from June 2002 to May 2004. Eleven pigments were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from 100%, 20%, and 5% light depths relative to the surface; the class-specific composition of phytoplankton community was then obtained by CHEMTAX analysis. The study area was influenced by the Kuroshio water for most of the observation period. The mean contribution of diatoms in all samples was relatively low (29%), while that of flagellates, mainly chlorophytes or cryptophytes, was quite high (60%). The phytoplankton composition at the three depths was uniform throughout the observation period, indicating that the vertical structure of the phytoplankton community did not develop significantly over time. A distinct temporal pattern was observed: flagellates dominated during the summer of 2002 and the winters of 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, while diatoms dominated during the summer of 2003. This pattern was associated with water mass changes. The community in the summer of 2003 was influenced by coastal water. While no distinct spring bloom of phytoplankton was observed, a weak increase in chlorophyll a was observed during the spring of 2004. Ocean color satellite data showed that fluctuations in chlorophyll a concentrations at time scales much shorter than a month occurred during the spring of 2003 and that the elevations in chlorophyll a levels were not continuous. The fluctuations were probably associated with rapid flushing by the Kuroshio water, which has low chlorophyll a content.

Ocean-atmosphere momentum coupling in the Kuroshio Extension observed from space

Abstract: Using a combination of Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT), Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), and Lagrangian drifter measurements, we demonstrate that wind data alone are not sufficient to derive ocean surface stress (momentum flux) over mid-latitude ocean fronts, specifically the Kuroshio Extension. There was no continuous and large-scale stress measurement over ocean until the launch of the scatterometers. Stress had been derived from winds through a drag coefficient, and our concept of stress distribution may be largely influenced by our knowledge of wind distribution. QuikSCAT reveals that the variability of stress could be very different from wind. The spatial coherence between the magnitude of stress and sea surface temperature (SST), between the divergence of surface stress and the downwind SST gradient, and between the vorticity of stress and crosswind SST gradient, are the inherent characteristics of stress (turbulence production by buoyancy) that would exist even under a uniform wind field. The coherence between stress vorticity and SST gradient is masked by the rotation of ocean currents over the Kuroshio meanders. Surface stress rotates in the opposite direction to surface currents because stress is the vector difference between wind and current. The results are in agreement with a previous study of the Agulhas Extension and confirm the unique stress measuring capability of the scatterometer.

Deep sea circulation of particulate organic carbon in the Japan Sea

Abstract: ⋅ Carbon cycle, ⋅ organic carbon, ⋅ Japan Sea, ⋅ lateral transport, ⋅ vertical transport, ⋅ radiocarbon, ⋅ accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS),

Optical properties of the red tide in Isahaya Bay, southwestern Japan: Influence of chlorophyll a concentration

Abstract: Remote sensing reflectance [Rrs(λ)] and absorption coefficients of red tides were measured in Isahaya Bay, southwestern Japan, to investigate differences in the optical properties of red tide and non-red tide waters. We defined colored areas of the sea surface, visualized from shipboard, as “red tides”. Peaks of the Rrs(λ) spectra of non-red tide waters were at 565 nm, while those of red tides shifted to longer wavelengths (589 nm). The spectral shape of Rrs(λ) was close to that of the reciprocal of the total absorption coefficient [1/a(λ)], implying that the Rrs(λ) peak is determined by absorption. Absorption coefficients of phytoplankton [aph(λ)], non-pigment particles and colored dissolved organic matter increased with increasing chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a), and those coefficients were correlated with Chl a for both red tide and non-red tide waters. Using these relationships between absorption coefficients and Chl a, variation in the spectrum of 1/a(λ) as a function of Chl a was calculated. The peak of 1/a(λ) shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing Chl a. Furthermore, the relative contribution of aph(λ) to the total absorption in red tide water was significantly higher than in non-red tide water in the wavelength range 550–600 nm, including the peak. Our results show that the variation of aph(λ) with Chl a dominates the behavior of the Rrs(λ) peak, and utilization of Rrs(λ) peaks at 589 and 565 nm may be useful to discriminate between red tide and non-red tide waters by remote sensing.

The Kuroshio near the Luzon Strait and circulation in the northern South China Sea during August and September 1994

Abstract: Wind data from NCEP and hydrographic data obtained from August 28 to September 10, 1994 have been used to compute circulation in the northern South China Sea and near Luzon Strait using three-dimensional diagnostic models with a modified inverse method. The numerical results are as follows: the main Kuroshio is located above 400 m levels near Taiwan’s eastern coast and above 800 m levels away from it. Near Luzon Strait above 400 m levels a branch of the Kuroshio joins with a part of the northward current, which comes from an area west of Luzon’s western coast and intrudes northwestward, then it branchs into western and eastern parts near 20°30′ N. The eastern part flows northward into an area east of Taiwan, while its western part continues to intrude northwestward, flowing through an area southwest of Taiwan. Net westward intruded volume transport through longitude Section AB at 121°00′ E from 19°00′ N to 21° 43′ N is about 3.5 × 106 m3s−1 in a layer above 400 m levels. The anticyclonic eddies W1 and W3 exist above 700 m levels east of Dongsha Islands and below 200 m levels in the eastern part of the region, respectively. The circulation in the middle region is dominated mainly by a basin-scale cyclonic gyre, and consists of three cyclonic eddies. Strong upwelling occurs in the middle region. The joint effect of baroclinity and relief and interaction between wind stress and relief both are important for real forcing of flow across contours of fH −1 in effecting the circulation pattern.